BenQ RL2450H RTS Gaming Monitor Review

Gaming Performance. Budget Pricing.

For many years, I thought monitors was just a display input for your PC so you could do your work and gaming with. Just recently, BenQ proved me wrong by allowing me to test out one of their gaming oriented monitor, the RL2450H.

So how do you make a gaming monitor? Well BenQ teamed up with World Leading StarCraft 2 players from StarTale to help them build a monitor designed for RTS gaming. Thus the RL2450H was born.

Important Things!

Screen Size: 24″

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast: 1000:1

DCR: 12M:1

Panel Type: TN

Response Time: 5ms, 2ms GTG

Input: D-Sub/DVI-D/HDMI/3.5mm Headphone

Street Price: ~$199

Out of the box, the RL2450H presents a striking design with it’s matte black with red highlights. The bezel feels strong and sturdy compared to other monitors showing quality in it’s overall build. The stand is quite unique featuring a slanted rectangle curve which is sure to make the monitor stay upright 100% of the time. No accidental walk-by bumps from clumsy gamers at your local LAN. While striking with it’s design, BenQ kept the branding to a minimal with no overly massive logos and markings. Even the LED is a soft dim colour which is a benefit for night time gaming.

Connectivity options are D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI and these are hidden behind the screen and is downward facing, a great idea just in case you need to wall mount the monitor. It also features a VESA mount for desk stands. Another thing to point out as well is the inclusion of a 3.5mm Audio Port. If you’re a console gamer using this screen, you can output sound to your headset if you’re using the HDMI option thus minimising the use of an external adapter.

The screen itself is crisp and highly responsive, putting my usual standard LCD to shame. The 24″ panel provides 2ms response time, which is a feature that many gamers look at, plus the support for 1080p Full HD resolution.

Being gaming oriented, I took the steps to review this monitor on two gaming environments – one on the standard PC Gaming and the other for direct console connection with an Xbox 360.

PC Gaming

With the monitor focused on RTS gaming, plus also featuring an RTS mode, I just had to test it out on Starcraft 2. I may not be on the professional level but this game in all cases requires clear focus and sharp reactions. The RTS mode caters for this game brilliantly. Turning it on, I noticed a huge difference on the presentation of the game. The graphics were sharper to the point and everything dark was clear as day. The mode doesn’t just whitewash the visuals to replicate this but tweaks the black levels to make it more visible.

Apart from the RTS mode, you can manually tweak the options (black levels/resolution etc.) using the easy-to-use OSD on the side. The OSD presents no lag, so tweaking on the fly is a possibility. There’s also presets you can save your custom mode into just in case you play on different settings.

Even though the RL2450H was created for RTS, it doesn’t stop it from being an all-round gaming monitor. As I play many different style of genres, like First Person Shooters and Racing. The monitor performed extremely well showing no sign of lag, just sharp detailed gaming.

Xbox (Console) Gaming

Plenty of gamers these days use their monitors for a screen when it comes to console gaming. It’s smaller and allows you to focus closely. With the RL2450H, it takes that experience to a new level. Most monitors come with HDMI inputs these days but surprisingly some don’t include a 3.5mm Headphone Output. The RL2450H however does, so direct audio connection is possible.

My previous experience with console gaming on the monitor hasn’t been perfect. Monitors I’ve used in the past have suffered major motion blur and the overall quality is not as sharp. To test out the RL2450H with the Xbox 360, I tested out a very fast game called Need for Speed Most Wanted. The game is a perfect testing ground to see the response rate of the monitor and how well it keeps up, and in the end it never fails to impress me.

Comparing this game with my current display, the graphic from the Xbox 360 is very detailed and sharp. There’s a lack of motion blurring caused by the monitor’s refresh rate. You can even change up the modes when using the Xbox 360 – again for those wanting their own tweaks.

Conclusion

It’s hard to use any other monitor for gaming after my experience with the RL2450H. It’s impressive when it comes to gaming but also practical when work is involved. There’s plenty of settings for users to tweak for their optimal setup and the red/black design is quite striking. So with all these features and performance, you would expect a high price tag? Wrong. The BenQ RL2450H is well in-line with ‘mainstream’ monitor pricing for the same sized screen at $199, being affordable for anyone wanting to get more from their visuals. Highly Recommended.

PROS

Plenty of settings for visual tweaking

Striking Red and Black Stand Design

Visually Sharp and Responsive

Cheap Price Tag for Gaming Monitor

CONS

Limited Tilt/Rotation Adjustment

Bezel Wider than Standard

This review unit was provided by BenQ Australia. Our Hardware reviews are focused for the general consumers. You can purchase this monitor at the BenQ Shop